#25, 140_takes_4ever, *** Approved 140_takes_4ever WAC030015XXXX ***
I remember reading about this once, that the light at the end of the tunnel is not a train. Apparently it is, the train to freedom. Freedom from the clutches of INS. After a journey starting on May 11th, 2001 and coming to a close on Aug 11th, 2001, 39 months after its start, I think I grown little wiser, a lot older, and very cynical. The strongest feeling I currently possess is one where I feel I was robbed off my productive time and opportunities. I was kept captive by this screwed up system and made to pay the price for my greed.
My first thought after getting the approval emails was "okay cool", amazing that after waiting for so long, and being so passionate about this issue, it doesn't even rate a scream of joy. And then I was sad for all the time and opportunities lost. The news having sunk in a little spoke to my wife and dashed of a few emails to some people like
Kashmir,
rk4gc,
warrior, etc. (who have become close friends over the course of the fight for backlog reduction). Then I got right back to work. Amazing, I had imagined the whole process to play out so differently. I guess I am a little wiser now and my priorities have changed.
I feel terrible for all the people with RD's before mine, waiting patiently for their turn while young whipper snappers after 4 months of waiting claim their "long" journey has come to an end. I feel like I have jumped the queue and to make amends for this, I will not stop fighting this fight against backlog reduction until there is justice for all. I would like to wish people like
sfbay_area_guy and
ruxrux all the luck possible, their wait times are ridiculous.
Here are a few conclusions that I would like to summarize from my experiences so far:
1. The campaigns we worked on did make a difference. Though people make claim INS works in cycles, I believe our strong efforts pushed the cycle to happen earlier than later. So do contribute your time and energy in making it even more successful.
2. Always send faxes, take nothing sitting down. You need to make INS aware of your plight. Despite the apparent lack of action you might perceive at times, your faxes do make a difference. (My 2FP I believe was as a result of the fax I sent)
3. LUD's and touch dates are a joke. It is best to stay away from that addiction. I am happy to say I checked my case status only once a week, if that.
4.
ALWAYS, ALWAYS update the various trackers floating around. Those are the best source of information on how INS functions. Remember how useful it is to you when you are looking for information? So when there are updates in your case status, update the trackers so others can benefit from your experience.
5. The key for most people waiting forever should be 2FP. That is what triggers off early approvals. In my case it was 12 days since FP results received and 18 days since FP given. So try to get your 2FP notice if your FP has expired, by any means necessary.
6.
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS go for early FP. My 2FP was scheduled for 9/1/2004, and here I am sitting with my approval almost 20 days prior to that date. There is no percentage in waiting for the FP date shown on your notice.
Details on my case history:
WAC: 030015XXXX
RD: 09/25/2002
ND: 10/01/2002
FP: 11/06/2002
2FP: 07/24/2004
Processing resumed: 07/30/2004
AD: 08/11/2004
Touch dates: 6/20/2004 - 7/30/2004 - 8/12/2004
Faxes sent: 05/10/2004 & 06/17/2004
No RFE, No AC21, haven't changed my job since I got out of school, status in the country has been very clean. F1 - H1 - GC.
Applied for a H1 renewal this year.
Work for a large software company. Regular career progression, with growth in salary and I have always made more than my LC salary.
With that comes to an end my wait for the AOS. I am not so concerned about the stamping or the plastic card, don't plan to leave the country for a while, so the wait shouldn't be a problem. Off course I will be participating in all the campaigns that come up. Most of the active activists have my email address and/or my phone numbers, so are welcome to ping me if you think I am being lazy. I will answer all pm's, questions anyone might have regarding my case or any topic I have some knowledge about.
As an end to this long post, I would like to thank the usual suspects, a few of whom are
Rajiv Khanna,
dsatish,
edison,
PCee,
kashmir,
bitterman,
rk4gc,
niladri and a lot of other people whose names might not be listed, but you know who you are, who have worked hard on the behalf of the immigrant community and taught me a lot of what I know about immigration matters. Also people like
gopher,
Parlay,
desi-bartender, etc. who contribute in so many different ways, they always kept the spirit of this forum high. You guys are responsible for making the 485 CSC forum the community it has become not to mention the best source of information for a prospective applicant.
http://www.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?t=138843
